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  • The Art of War

  • Written by: Sun Tzu
  • Narrated by: Aidan Gillen
  • Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,909 ratings)

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The Art of War

Written by: Sun Tzu
Narrated by: Aidan Gillen
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Publisher's Summary

The 13 chapters of The Art of War, each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.

Aidan Gillen - who has learned a thing or two about strategy through his roles as skilled manipulator Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish (Game of Thrones) and ambitious politician Tommy Carcetti (The Wire) - brilliantly performs this ancient classic. His experience in portraying insightful and, at times, cunning characters makes him a natural fit for this ancient collection of battlefield epigrams whose influence has grown tremendously in the modern world.

Public Domain (P)2015 Audible Inc.

What listeners love about The Art of War

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
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interesting

I really liked this book, my first audiobook, wasn't too long and it was easy to listen to! one of my favourite quotes was "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." #Audible1

10 people found this helpful

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little finger

couldn't have chosen a better person to read this. I've been playing it on loop all morning and plan to keep doing so

8 people found this helpful

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Aidan Gillen!

I recognized the voice right away lol! Worth the listen either way. I can see the information being found valuable, and used in lots of ways in life today.

3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
  • E
  • 2019-11-01

easy and captivating

the narrator was convincing and captivating. the tempo is easy to follow. I finished the book and listened to it again immediately..

3 people found this helpful

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Classic with an enhanced Narrator

Art of War is always a fine read but now with Little Finger narrating its that much better!

3 people found this helpful

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Really good

This was a very good recording. I really enjoyed it. I will be listening to it again

3 people found this helpful

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Masterpiece

I have never read a book this short that was so packed full of high yield and ageless insights and wisdom. Sun Tzu distills the best of advice about battle strategy; his advice is universal and ageless. A must read.

1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

It's my inner voice, if Irish.

Excellent oration. Perfect ambience. Tasteful Tempo.
If you are into those kinds of things. Recommend

1 person found this helpful

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  • RC
  • 2019-08-01

Outstanding

Exceptional rendition of a classic work. The stories and anecdotes were easy to follow. The way the work is presented helps capture the wisdom behind the ideas of the original author, I would recommend this work to anyone looking for a no nonsense telling of The Art of War.

1 person found this helpful

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Very Short, hope you didn't use a credit lol.

Better to purchase for five dollars than to use a credit. Ancient war wisdom, tactics and strategy.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Fred271
  • 2019-12-31

The actual book The Art of War, not a commentary

Excellent reading by Aidan Quinn, and a nice translation by an uncredited translator.

People sometimes assume that because The Art of War is short, and it mentions Sun Tzu in the text, a given edition is an abridgment or a summary. No, The Art of War is just pithy, and was never intended to be a book. It was written down on scrolls around 500 BC. A translation of the text itself will be no more than 80 pages, often in the form of verse or bullet points, though a given edition might be longer because it contains additional material, such as an introduction and some of the classical commentary. For example, Lionel Giles' translation is 25 pages long and just under 11,000 words.

As for the text speaking of Master Sun saying various things, that's not an uncommon device. The Book of Ecclesiastes does it, too, for example, and so does the Chuang Tzu. "Sun Tzu" appears to be an imaginary authority, inspired by a military expert named Sun Bin, rather than the actual author, so it's pretty logical.

I mention this because at least a couple of the commenters here have come to the wrong conclusions about what this audio book is, and a lot of people have taken their word for it, judging by the approval ratings. This is a very good recording, and it would be a shame to overlook it because of a misunderstanding.

515 people found this helpful

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  • Angelina PM
  • 2015-04-14

Aidan Gillen needs to narrate more books

What made the experience of listening to The Art of War the most enjoyable?

The narration

What did you like best about this story?

The simplicity, the sensibility that Sun Tzu brought to chaotic war.

Which character – as performed by Aidan Gillen – was your favorite?

...

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Please have Aidan Gillen narrate The Prince next, and really anything else. This man could read a phone book and I'd pay for it.

164 people found this helpful

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  • David S. Mathew
  • 2018-04-14

Game of War

The Art of War is a time tested classic of strategy and martial wisdom. The reputation of this book is extremely well known, so I won’t bother reviewing Sun Tzu. If you’ve ever been interested in this text, go for it.

If you’re reading this review, my guess is that you’re wondering about the performance. In short, Aidan Gillen knocks it out of the park. If you’re a fan of Aidan Gillen (or Game of Thrones in general) what could be cooler than being schooled in the art of war by Lord Petyr Baelish himself? You owe it to yourself to give this a listen. Highly recommended!

101 people found this helpful

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  • coppertin
  • 2015-04-24

Great performance

This ancient text may apply to many people's work. Anyone who works in a competitive environment can benefit from it, even if only a little. Even if you can't benefit from it, this work might help the listener to understand historical works dealing with wars better.

The reading is excellent. Aidan Gillen does a great job reading the text. I don't know if it's because I've been watching Game of Thrones for four seasons, but it sounds like he's using a kind of Littlefinger voice here, which adds to the effect. I'd recommend this audiobook to pretty much anyone, even if they don't have an army.

89 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • MJA
  • 2020-04-21

Thought I was getting the full book

Great choice of narrator, but this is a synopsis of the book, not the book itself.

45 people found this helpful

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  • Molly Mcdermott
  • 2015-05-27

Clever and extremely enjoyable

Stroke of genius having Aidan Gillen read Art of War. His gentle Irish brogue is tough yet alluring. And as a fan of GoT, I can see Littlefinger conspiring over this document and making these words his own. Well done!

31 people found this helpful

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  • William E.
  • 2019-12-30

A classic, but this is not the whole text...

Art of War by sun Tzu is a classic, but this is not the whole text. Regardless, it provides the essence, and probably all I really wanted + Gillen's narration was great. Glad I listened, and if you are in to STRATEGY, this should be on your MUST READ list.

23 people found this helpful

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  • Mathias
  • 2015-05-27

Littlefinger brings it home

Aidan Gillen delivers a great performance and keeps the listener interested and engaged through out the entire book!

21 people found this helpful

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  • Scott Craig
  • 2015-04-12

Enjoyed this reading.

Enjoyed the reading. Very well presented!👍👍. Was thankful for the AUDIBLE 50% SPRING cleaning sale. Thank you for the presentation

12 people found this helpful

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  • Tukundane
  • 2018-12-08

Best strategy book.

I have listened to the book while multi tasking and in heavily noise locations without missing key point Sun puts out.
The Art of War strategies once implemented in the day today activities can have great impact.
I am surely going to listen to it the second time in a more calm and quiet environment.

7 people found this helpful

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2019-01-12

Awesome the tittle describes it vvery well

Description of strategies and tactics you need in warfare
Great book, I don't know how relevant it is in today's World though but still it's short and there are still at least some valid points but i am not an expert on this subject so read and judge by yourself

1 person found this helpful

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  • Cliente Amazon
  • 2023-06-23

Great

This is a must read. You can apply the principles in your daily life as well as in your business